diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 3c01279..0abfc39 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -29,6 +29,11 @@ BILLING_API_KEY_CARE=
 IDENTITY_API_URL=https://ladill.com/api
 IDENTITY_API_KEY_CARE=
 
+# Afia in-app assistant (uses platform relay when AFIA_API_KEY is empty)
+AFIA_ENABLED=true
+AFIA_PRODUCT=care
+AFIA_PLATFORM_API_KEY=
+
 # Platform events webhook (user/org lifecycle from the monolith)
 SERVICE_EVENTS_INBOUND_SECRET=
 
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Care/AiController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Care/AiController.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b27cb7e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Care/AiController.php
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Http\Controllers\Care;
+
+use App\Http\Controllers\Controller;
+use App\Http\Controllers\Care\Concerns\ScopesToAccount;
+use App\Models\Appointment;
+use App\Models\Consultation;
+use App\Models\Patient;
+use App\Services\Afia\AfiaService;
+use Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse;
+use Illuminate\Http\Request;
+
+class AiController extends Controller
+{
+    use ScopesToAccount;
+
+    public function chat(Request $request, AfiaService $afia): JsonResponse
+    {
+        $validated = $request->validate([
+            'message' => ['required', 'string', 'max:2000'],
+            'history' => ['nullable', 'array', 'max:20'],
+            'history.*.role' => ['nullable', 'string'],
+            'history.*.text' => ['nullable', 'string'],
+        ]);
+
+        if (! $afia->enabled()) {
+            return response()->json(['message' => 'Afia is not available right now.'], 503);
+        }
+
+        try {
+            $reply = $afia->chat(trim($validated['message']), $validated['history'] ?? [], $this->context($request));
+        } catch (\Throwable $e) {
+            report($e);
+
+            return response()->json(['message' => 'Afia could not respond right now. Please try again.'], 502);
+        }
+
+        return response()->json(['reply' => $reply]);
+    }
+
+    /** @return array<string, mixed> */
+    private function context(Request $request): array
+    {
+        $owner = $this->ownerRef($request);
+        $organization = $this->organization($request);
+
+        return [
+            'signed_in' => 'yes',
+            'patients_total' => Patient::owned($owner)->where('organization_id', $organization->id)->count(),
+            'appointments_today' => Appointment::owned($owner)
+                ->where('organization_id', $organization->id)
+                ->whereDate('scheduled_at', today())
+                ->count(),
+            'queue_waiting' => Appointment::owned($owner)
+                ->where('organization_id', $organization->id)
+                ->where('status', Appointment::STATUS_WAITING)
+                ->count(),
+            'in_consultation' => Appointment::owned($owner)
+                ->where('organization_id', $organization->id)
+                ->where('status', Appointment::STATUS_IN_CONSULTATION)
+                ->count(),
+            'consultations_completed_today' => Consultation::owned($owner)
+                ->whereHas('visit', fn ($q) => $q->where('organization_id', $organization->id))
+                ->where('status', Consultation::STATUS_COMPLETED)
+                ->whereDate('completed_at', today())
+                ->count(),
+        ];
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/NotificationController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/NotificationController.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d438a3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/NotificationController.php
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Http\Controllers;
+
+use Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse;
+use Illuminate\Http\Request;
+use Illuminate\View\View;
+
+class NotificationController extends Controller
+{
+    public function index(Request $request): View
+    {
+        $notifications = $request->user()
+            ->notifications()
+            ->latest()
+            ->paginate(20);
+
+        return view('notifications.index', compact('notifications'));
+    }
+
+    public function unread(Request $request): JsonResponse
+    {
+        $notifications = $request->user()
+            ->unreadNotifications()
+            ->latest()
+            ->take(10)
+            ->get()
+            ->map(fn ($n) => [
+                'id' => $n->id,
+                'type' => class_basename($n->type),
+                'title' => $n->data['title'] ?? 'Notification',
+                'message' => $n->data['message'] ?? '',
+                'icon' => $n->data['icon'] ?? 'bell',
+                'url' => $n->data['url'] ?? null,
+                'created_at' => $n->created_at->diffForHumans(),
+            ]);
+
+        return response()->json([
+            'notifications' => $notifications,
+            'unread_count' => $request->user()->unreadNotifications()->count(),
+        ]);
+    }
+
+    public function markAsRead(Request $request, string $id): JsonResponse
+    {
+        $notification = $request->user()
+            ->notifications()
+            ->where('id', $id)
+            ->first();
+
+        if ($notification) {
+            $notification->markAsRead();
+        }
+
+        return response()->json(['success' => true]);
+    }
+
+    public function markAllAsRead(Request $request): JsonResponse
+    {
+        $request->user()->unreadNotifications->markAsRead();
+
+        return response()->json(['success' => true]);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/app/Services/Afia/AfiaService.php b/app/Services/Afia/AfiaService.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2361524
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Services/Afia/AfiaService.php
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace App\Services\Afia;
+
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;
+use RuntimeException;
+
+/**
+ * Afia — Ladill in-app AI assistant scoped to Ladill Care.
+ */
+class AfiaService
+{
+    public function enabled(): bool
+    {
+        if (! (bool) config('afia.enabled', true)) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        return $this->hasLocalKey() || $this->hasPlatformRelay();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param  array<int, array{role: string, text: string}>  $history
+     * @param  array<string, mixed>  $context
+     */
+    public function chat(string $message, array $history, array $context): string
+    {
+        if (! $this->enabled()) {
+            throw new RuntimeException('Afia is not configured.');
+        }
+
+        if ($this->hasLocalKey()) {
+            return $this->chatLocally($message, $history, $context);
+        }
+
+        return $this->chatViaPlatform($message, $history, $context);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param  array<int, array{role: string, text: string}>  $history
+     * @param  array<string, mixed>  $context
+     */
+    private function chatLocally(string $message, array $history, array $context): string
+    {
+        $provider = (string) config('afia.provider', 'openai');
+        $model = (string) config('afia.model', 'gpt-4o-mini');
+        $apiKey = (string) config('afia.api_key');
+
+        $messages = [['role' => 'system', 'content' => $this->systemPrompt($context)]];
+        foreach (array_slice($history, -8) as $turn) {
+            $role = ($turn['role'] ?? 'user') === 'assistant' ? 'assistant' : 'user';
+            $text = trim((string) ($turn['text'] ?? ''));
+            if ($text !== '') {
+                $messages[] = ['role' => $role, 'content' => $text];
+            }
+        }
+        $messages[] = ['role' => 'user', 'content' => $message];
+
+        return $provider === 'anthropic'
+            ? $this->viaAnthropic($model, $apiKey, $messages)
+            : $this->viaOpenAi($model, $apiKey, $messages);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param  array<int, array{role: string, text: string}>  $history
+     * @param  array<string, mixed>  $context
+     */
+    private function chatViaPlatform(string $message, array $history, array $context): string
+    {
+        $base = rtrim((string) config('afia.platform_api_url', ''), '/');
+        $token = (string) config('afia.platform_api_key', '');
+
+        $res = Http::withToken($token)->acceptJson()->timeout(50)->post($base.'/afia/chat', [
+            'product' => (string) config('afia.product', 'care'),
+            'message' => $message,
+            'history' => $history,
+            'system_prompt' => $this->systemPrompt($context),
+        ]);
+
+        if ($res->status() === 503) {
+            throw new RuntimeException('Afia is not configured on the platform.');
+        }
+
+        if ($res->failed()) {
+            throw new RuntimeException('Platform Afia relay failed: '.$res->status());
+        }
+
+        $reply = trim((string) $res->json('reply', ''));
+        if ($reply === '') {
+            throw new RuntimeException('Platform Afia relay returned an empty response.');
+        }
+
+        return $reply;
+    }
+
+    private function hasLocalKey(): bool
+    {
+        return (string) config('afia.api_key', '') !== '';
+    }
+
+    private function hasPlatformRelay(): bool
+    {
+        return rtrim((string) config('afia.platform_api_url', ''), '/') !== ''
+            && (string) config('afia.platform_api_key', '') !== '';
+    }
+
+    private function viaOpenAi(string $model, string $apiKey, array $messages): string
+    {
+        $res = Http::withToken($apiKey)->acceptJson()->timeout(45)
+            ->post('https://api.openai.com/v1/chat/completions', [
+                'model' => $model,
+                'temperature' => 0.3,
+                'max_tokens' => 600,
+                'messages' => $messages,
+            ]);
+
+        if ($res->failed()) {
+            throw new RuntimeException('OpenAI request failed: '.$res->status());
+        }
+
+        return trim((string) $res->json('choices.0.message.content', ''));
+    }
+
+    private function viaAnthropic(string $model, string $apiKey, array $messages): string
+    {
+        $system = $messages[0]['content'] ?? '';
+        $turns = array_values(array_filter($messages, fn ($m) => $m['role'] !== 'system'));
+
+        $res = Http::withHeaders([
+            'x-api-key' => $apiKey,
+            'anthropic-version' => '2023-06-01',
+        ])->acceptJson()->timeout(45)->post('https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages', [
+            'model' => $model,
+            'max_tokens' => 600,
+            'system' => $system,
+            'messages' => array_map(fn ($m) => ['role' => $m['role'], 'content' => $m['content']], $turns),
+        ]);
+
+        if ($res->failed()) {
+            throw new RuntimeException('Anthropic request failed: '.$res->status());
+        }
+
+        return trim((string) $res->json('content.0.text', ''));
+    }
+
+    /** @param  array<string, mixed>  $context */
+    private function systemPrompt(array $context): string
+    {
+        $ctx = collect($context)->map(fn ($v, $k) => "- {$k}: {$v}")->implode("\n");
+
+        return <<<PROMPT
+        You are Afia, the assistant inside Ladill Care (care.ladill.com).
+        Help clinical and administrative staff manage patients, appointments, consultations, laboratory, pharmacy, and billing. Be concise, friendly, and actionable: short numbered steps and name the screen or section to use.
+
+        What Ladill Care does and where things live:
+        - Dashboard: today's activity and quick links for the facility.
+        - Patients: register patients, view demographics, history, consultations, prescriptions, and bills.
+        - Appointments: schedule visits and manage walk-ins.
+        - Queue: waiting patients and active consultations — doctors start consultations from here.
+        - Consultations: record vitals, symptoms, clinical notes, diagnoses, lab requests, and prescriptions; complete the encounter when done.
+        - Laboratory: investigation catalog, request tests from consultations, sample collection, results entry, and approval.
+        - Prescriptions & pharmacy queue: prescribe during consultations; pharmacists dispense from the queue.
+        - Billing: generate bills from completed visits, record payments, and print receipts.
+        - Settings & admin: branches, departments, members, practitioners, and audit logs.
+
+        Rules:
+        - Only answer questions about Ladill Care — patients, appointments, queue, consultations, lab, pharmacy, and billing.
+        - If asked about CRM, visitor management, domains, or email mailboxes, briefly say those live in other Ladill apps and suggest the app launcher.
+        - Never invent patient names, counts, or clinical results — use the user context below or tell them where to check.
+
+        Current user context:
+        {$ctx}
+        PROMPT;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/config/afia.php b/config/afia.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..328a1ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/afia.php
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+<?php
+
+return [
+    'product' => env('AFIA_PRODUCT', 'care'),
+    'enabled' => (bool) env('AFIA_ENABLED', true),
+    'provider' => env('AFIA_PROVIDER', 'openai'),
+    'model' => env('AFIA_MODEL', 'gpt-4o-mini'),
+    'api_key' => env('AFIA_API_KEY', env('OPENAI_API_KEY')),
+    'platform_api_url' => env('AFIA_PLATFORM_API_URL', env('IDENTITY_API_URL', 'https://ladill.com/api')),
+    'platform_api_key' => env('AFIA_PLATFORM_API_KEY', env('IDENTITY_API_KEY_CARE')),
+];
diff --git a/database/migrations/2026_06_23_120000_create_notifications_table.php b/database/migrations/2026_06_23_120000_create_notifications_table.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52e3b00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/database/migrations/2026_06_23_120000_create_notifications_table.php
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+<?php
+
+use Illuminate\Database\Migrations\Migration;
+use Illuminate\Database\Schema\Blueprint;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Schema;
+
+return new class extends Migration
+{
+    public function up(): void
+    {
+        Schema::create('notifications', function (Blueprint $table) {
+            $table->uuid('id')->primary();
+            $table->string('type');
+            $table->morphs('notifiable');
+            $table->text('data');
+            $table->timestamp('read_at')->nullable();
+            $table->timestamps();
+        });
+    }
+
+    public function down(): void
+    {
+        Schema::dropIfExists('notifications');
+    }
+};
diff --git a/resources/views/components/app-layout.blade.php b/resources/views/components/app-layout.blade.php
index 1560677..981178b 100644
--- a/resources/views/components/app-layout.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/components/app-layout.blade.php
@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@
             'homeActive' => request()->routeIs('care.dashboard'),
             'searchUrl' => route('care.patients.index'),
             'searchActive' => request()->routeIs('care.patients.*'),
-            'notificationsUrl' => route('care.dashboard'),
-            'notificationsActive' => false,
-            'unreadUrl' => route('care.dashboard'),
+            'notificationsUrl' => route('notifications.index'),
+            'notificationsActive' => request()->routeIs('notifications.*'),
+            'unreadUrl' => route('notifications.unread'),
             'profileActive' => false,
             'profileName' => $navUser?->name ?? '',
             'profileSubtitle' => $navUser?->email ?? '',
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
             'initials' => $navInitials !== '' ? $navInitials : 'U',
         ])
     @endauth
+    @include('partials.afia')
     @include('partials.wallet-topup-modal', ['openOnLoad' => (bool) session('topup_required')])
 </body>
 </html>
diff --git a/resources/views/partials/afia.blade.php b/resources/views/partials/afia.blade.php
index 265fdb5..04253c6 100644
--- a/resources/views/partials/afia.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/partials/afia.blade.php
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 @php
-    $afiaGreeting = "Hi, I'm Afia 👋 Ask me about visitor check-in, kiosks, hosts, badges, devices, or setting up your reception desk…";
+    $afiaGreeting = "Hi, I'm Afia 👋 Ask me about patients, appointments, the queue, consultations, lab requests, prescriptions, or billing…";
     $afiaSuggestions = [
-        'How do I set up a visitor kiosk?',
-        'How do I check a visitor in?',
-        'Where do I add reception desks?',
-        'How do hosts approve visits?',
+        'How do I register a new patient?',
+        'How does the patient queue work?',
+        'How do I start a consultation?',
+        'How do I request lab investigations?',
     ];
 @endphp
 {{-- Afia — Ladill AI assistant slide-over. Opened via $dispatch('afia-open'). --}}
 <div x-data="afia({
-    chatUrl: '{{ route('frontdesk.ai.chat') }}',
+    chatUrl: '{{ route('care.ai.chat') }}',
     csrf: '{{ csrf_token() }}',
     greeting: @js($afiaGreeting),
     suggestions: @js($afiaSuggestions),
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
                 </span>
                 <div class="leading-tight">
                     <p class="text-sm font-semibold text-slate-900">Afia</p>
-                    <p class="text-[11px] text-slate-400">Frontdesk assistant</p>
+                    <p class="text-[11px] text-slate-400">Care assistant</p>
                 </div>
             </div>
             <div class="flex items-center gap-1">
diff --git a/resources/views/partials/mobile-topbar-title.blade.php b/resources/views/partials/mobile-topbar-title.blade.php
index ff10b4a..7a3fe86 100644
--- a/resources/views/partials/mobile-topbar-title.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/partials/mobile-topbar-title.blade.php
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 @php
-    $title = $mobileTopbarTitle ?? 'Ladill';
+    $title = $heading ?? $mobileTopbarTitle ?? 'Ladill Care';
 @endphp
 <div class="min-w-0 flex-1 lg:hidden">
     <h1 class="truncate text-base font-semibold text-slate-900">{{ $title }}</h1>
diff --git a/resources/views/partials/topbar-desktop-widgets.blade.php b/resources/views/partials/topbar-desktop-widgets.blade.php
index 3be9422..5e00826 100644
--- a/resources/views/partials/topbar-desktop-widgets.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/partials/topbar-desktop-widgets.blade.php
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@
     $showUserHeader = $showUser ?? true;
 @endphp
 
+@includeIf('partials.afia-button', ['compact' => true])
+
+@includeIf('partials.notification-dropdown')
+
 @include('partials.launcher')
 
 @includeIf('partials.topbar-widgets-mid')
diff --git a/resources/views/partials/topbar.blade.php b/resources/views/partials/topbar.blade.php
index 7df329f..c1cbcb1 100644
--- a/resources/views/partials/topbar.blade.php
+++ b/resources/views/partials/topbar.blade.php
@@ -9,9 +9,7 @@
             <svg class="h-6 w-6" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" stroke-width="2" d="M4 6h16M4 12h16M4 18h16"/></svg>
         </button>
 
-        @include('partials.mobile-topbar-title')
-
-        <h1 class="hidden text-sm font-semibold text-slate-700 lg:block">{{ $heading ?? 'Ladill Care' }}</h1>
+        @include('partials.mobile-topbar-title', ['heading' => $heading ?? null])
 
         @if (auth()->check() && app(\App\Services\Care\CarePermissions::class)->can(
             app(\App\Services\Care\OrganizationResolver::class)->memberFor(auth()->user()), 'patients.view'))
@@ -22,7 +20,8 @@
                 <svg class="pointer-events-none absolute left-3 top-1/2 h-4 w-4 -translate-y-1/2 text-slate-400" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" d="m21 21-5.197-5.197m0 0A7.5 7.5 0 1 0 5.196 5.196a7.5 7.5 0 0 0 10.607 10.607Z"/></svg>
                 <input x-ref="search" type="search" name="q" value="{{ request('q') }}"
                        placeholder="Search patients…"
-                       class="w-full rounded-xl border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50 py-2 pl-9 pr-10 text-sm text-slate-700 placeholder-slate-400 transition focus:border-sky-300 focus:bg-white focus:ring-2 focus:ring-sky-100 focus:outline-none">
+                       class="w-full rounded-xl border border-slate-200 bg-slate-50 py-2 pl-9 pr-10 text-sm text-slate-700 placeholder-slate-400 transition focus:border-indigo-300 focus:bg-white focus:ring-2 focus:ring-indigo-100 focus:outline-none">
+                <kbd class="pointer-events-none absolute right-3 top-1/2 hidden -translate-y-1/2 rounded-md border border-slate-200 bg-white px-1.5 py-0.5 text-[10px] font-medium text-slate-400 sm:inline-block">/</kbd>
             </form>
         @endif
     </div>
diff --git a/routes/web.php b/routes/web.php
index 04f3928..552b040 100644
--- a/routes/web.php
+++ b/routes/web.php
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 <?php
 
 use App\Http\Controllers\Auth\SsoLoginController;
+use App\Http\Controllers\Care\AiController;
+use App\Http\Controllers\NotificationController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\Care\AuditLogController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\Care\AppointmentController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\Care\BillController;
@@ -35,10 +37,17 @@ Route::get('/sso/platform-signed-out', [SsoLoginController::class, 'platformSign
 Route::get('/signed-out', fn () => auth()->check() ? redirect()->route('care.dashboard') : view('auth.signed-out'))->name('care.signed-out');
 
 Route::middleware(['auth', 'platform.session'])->group(function () {
+    Route::get('/notifications', [NotificationController::class, 'index'])->name('notifications.index');
+    Route::get('/notifications/unread', [NotificationController::class, 'unread'])->name('notifications.unread');
+    Route::post('/notifications/{id}/read', [NotificationController::class, 'markAsRead'])->name('notifications.mark-read');
+    Route::post('/notifications/mark-all-read', [NotificationController::class, 'markAllAsRead'])->name('notifications.mark-all-read');
+
     Route::get('/onboarding', [OnboardingController::class, 'show'])->name('care.onboarding.show');
     Route::post('/onboarding', [OnboardingController::class, 'store'])->name('care.onboarding.store');
 
     Route::middleware(['care.setup'])->group(function () {
+        Route::post('/ai/chat', [AiController::class, 'chat'])->middleware('throttle:30,1')->name('care.ai.chat');
+
         Route::get('/dashboard', [DashboardController::class, 'index'])->name('care.dashboard');
 
         Route::get('/patients', [PatientController::class, 'index'])->name('care.patients.index');